University of Hertfordshire School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Education Corporate Guide

POWERING POTENTIAL

Our vision is to transform lives, and power the potential of not just our students and staff, but our wider community. Our students graduate with excellent skills aligned with the needs of employers and industry, enhancing their career prospects. We co-design, implement and grow business ideas and ventures, making our expertise accessible to market and powering businesses across the region.

Professor Quintin McKellar CBE Vice-Chancellor

Ranked among the top 10% of Universities for local growth and regeneration Research England

Ranked 16th in England for social mobility impact

Institute for Fiscal Studies 2021

We jumped 12 places in the 2023 Complete University Guide league table, and climbed 16 places to 74th in the 2023 Guardian University Guide

Welcome to the University of Hertfordshire

Set across two campuses and our Bayfordbury Observatory, we’re just 20 miles from London.

As an innovative, enterprising university, focused on transforming lives, we care about our staff and students and provide them with the opportunity to succeed no matter what their background.

With our heritage in Britain’s pioneering aeronautical industry, we have been an innovative force in education since the early 1950s, and our focus on students’ employability and transferable skills can be traced back to our aeronautical origins.

We drive economic growth through cutting-edge research, creative and innovative thinking, skills development, bespoke training, and facilities that help businesses achieve their potential. All of our activities are underpinned by our core values; we are friendly, ambitious, collegiate, enterprising, and student-focused in everything we do.

We have just under 32,000 students studying over 550 undergraduate, postgraduate and research degrees in the UK. We also have more than 6,500 students taking courses outside the UK through international partnerships and franchise arrangements.

Our teaching is delivered across seven academic schools: Creative Arts, Health and Social Work, Hertfordshire Business School, Hertfordshire Law School, Life and Medical Sciences, Physics, Engineering and Computer Science, and Social Sciences, Humanities and Education.

de Havilland Campus

Our history 19521959

Hatfield Technical College

1952 saw the opening of a new Technical College in Hatfield, with HRH Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh performing the opening ceremony. With its roots in Britain’s pioneering aeronautical industry, the College soon established itself as an innovative force in education, awarding our first BSc (Engineering) qualifications to external students of the University of London in 1959.

19601968

Hatfield College of Technology

In 1960, the institution was renamed Hatfield College of Technology and began to invest in computer science, buying the College’s first digital computer in 1963 – a National Elliott 803B digital computer, at a cost of £24,010. In 1965, the college became recognised for 13 Honours Degree courses, including Computer Science and Civil Engineering, with BA (Hons) Business Studies coming a year later.

19691991

In 1969, the College was designated as Hatfield Polytechnic, and by 1970 had formed the best equipped and staffed Computer Centre in education. In 1975, the Polytechnic was reorganised into five schools of study and a centre for Management Studies.

1992 - Present

Hatfield Polytechnic University of Hertfordshire

Hatfield Polytechnic became The University of Hertfordshire on 29 June 1992. In 2003 the de Havilland Campus, a £120 million project, was opened by HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. In 2016, he visited the campus to open the £50 million Science Building. Our Enterprise Hub was opened in 2021. Today, we have a student community of just under 32,000 on UK based programmes across our campuses.

Executive team

As Chief Executive, the Vice-Chancellor exercises considerable influence upon the development of University strategy, the identification and planning of new development and the shaping of the University ethos. The executive team – the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Secretary and Registrar, Executive Director for Business, International, Marketing and Recruitment, Pro Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience, Pro Vice-Chancellor Research and Enterprise, and the Group Finance Director all contribute to this aspect of work.

Professor Quintin McKellar CBE Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive

Quintin has been the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University since 2011. His responsibilities include the day-to-day running of the institution, the delivery of strategic and operational plans, performance, its internal structure and organisation, and its interface with external bodies and agencies. In 2015 he was elected as a Board member of Universities UK (UUK), and in 2020 was elected as UUK Vice-President (England and Northern Ireland). In 2021 he was elected as a Board member of Advance HE. He was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2011 for services to science.

Professor Julie Newlan MBE Deputy Vice-Chancellor

Julie was appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor in February 2022. She was previously Pro Vice-Chancellor for Business and International Development. She is engaged in all strategic and operational decisions which underpin the positioning and success of the University, and will be leading the University’s strategic plan.

Julie has overall responsibility for University planning, including the development of all academic areas through the respective deans, staff development, international and regional partnerships and developments, recruitment, induction and retention of students, student experience and student outcomes.

Sharon Harrison-Barker Secretary and Registrar

Sharon was appointed in January 2020. She was previously the Academic Registrar, Head of the Student Centre and Faculty Registrar for the Business School and has worked in various further and higher education institutions. She achieved an MBA in Higher Education Management from the University of London in 2010.

Sharon is responsible for the management and operation of the Board of Governors and the Academic Board, compliance with University policies, regulations and procedures, legal matters of the University and its wholly owned subsidiaries, health and safety, internal audit, equality, registry, human resources, library and computing services, the office of the dean of students and professional staffing.

Jo Stuart Executive Director for Business, International, Marketing and Recruitment

Jo was appointed in March 2022, and oversees the work of Marketing Communications, Business Development, and the International Office.

She joined the University in 2018 as the Director of Marketing and Communications and over the last four years, Jo has worked tirelessly to transform the University’s marketing and communications function by embedding insight and data-led decision-making across all marketing and communications activities.

Jo previously worked in the Financial Services sector, bringing with her 20 years’ experience in senior leadership roles across product development, marketing, communications and sales.

Dr Mairi Watson Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education and Student Experience)

Mairi joined the University in May 2020 as Pro Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience. She leads strategy and performance, as well as policy development and delivery, in learning and teaching, student experience, quality assurance and student union relationships. Mairi is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and regularly contributes to external events on the leadership of educational change in challenging contexts.

Professor John Senior Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise)

Appointed in 2006, John is responsible for leading University research and the delivery of research degrees, chairing the University Research Committee, developing international research partnerships in Australia, China, Malaysia, and Vietnam, and overseeing the Doctoral College, which is a community of more than 700 research degree students.

From 2003 to 2006 John was the University Director of Enterprise and Knowledge Transfer as well as being a Dean of Faculty.

He has an international research profile in the field of optical fibre communications and networking, is on the Executive Committee of the Engineering Professors Council and chairs the Research and Enterprise Network for Universities (RENU).

Alistair Moffat Group Finance Director

After a career in senior positions in the transport industry, Alistair was appointed Group Finance Director in 2009. He has responsibility for all aspects of financial management within the University Group, including financial control, statutory reporting, treasury, tax, insurance, procurement and commercial financial support for the academic community.

His role incorporates Board responsibility for the management of the University's estate and sport. He is a director of UH Holdings Limited, which oversees the commercial subsidiaries in the Group, and is a director of our subsidiary companies.

Alistair was joint chair of the London and South-East British Universities Finance Directors’ Group (BUFDG) from 2016-2021.

Our vision and strategic plan

Our vision to transform lives reflects the ambition and inspiration that is central to the University. It is built on the belief that whatever your background, wherever you are from, higher education can be a transformational experience. And whoever you are, the application of university research can impact your life.

We are committed to having a positive transformational impact on every member of our University community.

Students and staff contributed to the development of our strategic plan which informed our focus on transforming lives. It reflects the values of ambition and inspiration that are central to the University. Our three key themes of opportunity, community and flexibility also grew out of this engagement and reflect both what is important to the University, but also how we will approach challenges in the coming years.

The 2020-2025 strategy builds on our strengths and embeds our focus on employability, enterprise, and business partnerships. It looks at future challenges – modern technologies, the changing world of work, and increasing interconnectivity across the globe – all areas our students presented to us in 2018 as future challenges.

Scan or click below to find out more about our strategic plan go.herts.ac.uk/strategic-plan

Education and student experience

We deliver high-quality and distinctive education that transforms lives by providing opportunities to develop students’ skills for life, working in partnership with our student community, and delivering flexible education with clear career pathways.

We do this through the expertise of our academic staff who design and deliver our courses. More than 70% of our staff hold professional recognition through Fellowships of the Higher Education Academy in teaching and learning compared to 54% across the sector.

We are proud of our 14 Principal Fellows and 80 Senior Fellows of the HEA, and our 10 National Teaching Fellows and 22 Professors and Associate Professors in Teaching and Learning.

Our Widening Access work targets primary- and secondary-aged learners, while our Student Success work supports learners currently studying at the University. Students are selected based upon where the data indicates gaps in equality of opportunity in relation to access, success or progression.

We are proud of our strong record in increasing access and participation at Herts. This is evident in our student population and the proportion of students from underrepresented backgrounds.

“ I had such a wide variety of placements – they were all so different! My mentors were lovely, and the classes were great. I think my favourite thing though was the change I felt between my first and last placements. When I was standing in front of the whole class, teaching lessons I had planned myself, feeling confident in a way I couldn’t have imagined during my first placement – that was amazing!

”

Rebecca Shelford BEd (Hons) Primary, 2021

Research

Our research transforms lives and addresses fundamental global and societal challenges.

The University has made the biggest jump in research impact results across the higher education sector, according to the recent 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF) assessment released in May 2022.

We are ranked in the top 25% nationally at 32nd, the highest position for a post-92 university, and a huge rise of 61 places compared to the previous REF in 2014, the biggest rise of any university.

Held every 6-7 years, REF is a nationwide assessment of the quality and impact of research at UK higher education institutions, based on evidence submissions that detail research outputs, real-world impact and benefits, and the institution’s research environment.

Research culture at the University is defined by a strong spirit of enquiry, innovation and enterprise, and feeds into teaching and learning to enrich our students’ experience.

We collaborate on inter-disciplinary projects not only with our colleagues, but also with international agencies, industry, the public sector, and other universities around the world. Our partnerships always have the shared aim of improving people’s lives.

From monitoring air quality to protect public health, to enhancing health in care homes and communities during the pandemic, our research has impact.

The work of an expert team of researchers from the University of Hertfordshire has been used to fundamentally improve how care homes and the NHS work together. By the end of 2020, the national Framework for Enhanced Health in Care Homes had been rolled out nationally to cover around 11,300 care homes and 410,000 care home residents.

Scan or click below to find out how our amazing research

go.herts.ac.uk/herts-research

makes a difference to people’s lives

Highlighting the real-world benefits to wider society, 90% of our research was classified as having ‘outstanding’ (4*) or ‘very considerable’ (3*) impact. In certain subject areas this was even higher, with Psychology obtaining a 100% 4* research impact rating.

Enterprise

The University is an institution with enterprise at its core. Within our University Enterprise Zone we have formed clusters of excellence that respond to regional and national demands, providing students and businesses with access to funding and specialist business start-up, innovation and growth support.

In our interactions with the wider community, we aim to foster and create a collaborative environment and entrepreneurial culture that is connected, inclusive, ethical, and inquisitive.

One of the ways we support start-ups is through our start-up challenge award - Flare Ignite. It offers student entrepreneurs the support, advice and training they need in areas like proposal writing, planning, finance and marketing, and the opportunity to win up to £3,500 to get their business idea off the ground and bring it to life.

Scan or click below to find out how our enterprise team can help you go.herts.ac.uk/ enterprise-zone

Kim won the 2021 Flare Ignite Social Impact award. She is a budding entrepreneur who wants to improve the lives of families with children who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

“ What I learnt as a student has provided the foundations for my career and I will always be grateful for the University’s support throughout my studies. It’s because of this support that I felt confident and comfortable enough to enter the Flare Ignite competition as a graduate and challenge myself to make SENDplan a reality. ”

Scan or click below to hear more about Kim's SEND plan go.herts.ac.uk/kim

We offer expertise in apprenticeships. Apprenticeships play a crucial role in boosting the economy and are an effective way for businesses to develop a motivated, skilled, and qualified workforce, either by upskilling existing employees or recruiting new talent. The apprentice will gain a recognised qualification while earning a salary and gaining relevant industry experience.

Global engagement

We provide international opportunities for staff and students, building a diverse community on our campus, and increasing flexible programme delivery for the overseas market.

With more than 100 international partnerships across five regions, and partnership models including franchise, dual awards, fly-in faculty, academic support, supported distance learning and recognition and articulation agreements, we are passionate about providing students around the world the opportunity to study for a University of Hertfordshire award.

We are proud to be a participant of the QE-TNE scheme. The scheme independently measures quality across the UK’s Transnational Education sector and promotes continued evaluation, improvement, and collaboration on a global scale.

In 2019 we launched our largest scale transnational education partnership with a new institution, Global Academic Foundation in Egypt. Students can study a University degree in multiple subject areas, including Business, Computer Science, Engineering, Mass Communications, Pharmaceutical Science and Physiotherapy. Located in the centre of Egypt’s new administrative capital New Capital City, 20km east of Cairo, our campus is one of the first institutions to open in New Capital – a purpose-built capital city the size of Singapore.

Scan or click below to find out more about our international partners go.herts.ac.uk/partners

School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Education

Subject areas

Early Childhood Education and Teacher Training

English Language, Linguistics and Modern Languages

History, Folklore, English Literature and Creative Writing Journalism, Public Relations, Media and Communications Mental Health and Wellbeing Outdoor Environmental Education Philosophy

Politics and International Relations

Psychology in Education Sociology

Our commitment to transforming lives is important to me and is shared across our School. It means we focus not just on building our students’ confidence, but also on how we can give back to society and make a difference to people’s lives.

Dr Lyn Trodd Dean of Social Sciences, Humanities and Education

History, English and Philosophy made a significant contribution to the University's excellent outcome in the recent Research Excellence Framework

The School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Education is a diverse and vibrant community. Our staff are active researchers, scholars and practitioners generating outstanding publications and working closely in the fields of education and with the heritage and culture sectors.

Our graduates are encouraged throughout their studies to explore the application of their learning and engage in work experience. They excel in the transferable skills that employers require. They have excellent communication, information literacy, networking and teamworking skills and are trained to think critically and creatively in order to conduct effective research and analysis.

We are ranked 11th for Education (Guardian University Guide 2022)

We are one of the Department for Education’s top 10 teacher training providers in England for employability

Our experts are changing lives

From tackling climate change to helping ensure food and information security, our experts are committed to protecting people and the planet by finding innovative and sustainable solutions to the most critical social, environmental and economic challenges facing society today.

Dr Jo McDowell

Principal Lecturer in English Language and Linguistics

We have a wealth of knowledge and insight in the School, including Dr McDowell who has been working on projects concerning classroom teaching. This involves working with local primary schools, head teachers and practitioners in Hertfordshire. Her work informs education policy and can be used to develop teacher training workshops. She is the editor of a forthcoming publication for De-Gendering Gendered Occupations: Analysing Communicative Practices in the Workplace, published by Routledge in 2020.

Professor Davies is the author of several publications, including ‘A Supernatural Struggle: Magic, Divination and Faith during the First World War’. He has worked with the Ashmolean Museum and a number of other heritage organisations to identify and preserve collections and to curate exhibitions. Owen is currently working on a project with the Museum of London to examine the phenomena of witch-bottles and their concealment.

Professor Owen Davies

Professor of Social History

Victoria Pateman

PGCE, MA Social Philosophy, BA (Hons) English Literature

Head of Department: Initial Teacher Education and Early Childhood

Victoria gained her teaching qualification (PGCE English) with the University of Hertfordshire and taught English and media in secondary schools in Hertfordshire before moving to the University to lead the English PGCE course. Victoria now leads a team of over 30 Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and Early Childhood specialists. As the ITE provider of choice for over 18 School Direct Lead School partnerships, 400 primary and secondary schools, and Multi Academy Trusts, Victoria chairs our ITE Partnership Steering Committee and represents their views at a regional and national level through DfE Initial Teacher Training Advisory Group, Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers and University Alliance’s ITE network.

Our inspiring alumni

Jake is a Year 4 teacher in a junior school near the University. He gained a PGCE in Primary Education in 2017, following an undergraduate degree at the University in Education Studies.

Jake Garwood

BA

(Hons) Education Studies

PGCE in Primary Education, 2017 Teacher

“ My studies at the University sparked the passion I have for education. For not only teaching, but the philosophy, politics and critical debates surrounding it. Engaging modules at the University and inspiring tutors played a key part in making me the teacher I am today.

I knew the University had an excellent reputation for teacher training, so decided there was no better place to study to achieve my goal of being the best possible teacher I can be. ”

Eleanor did a six month internship at a literary agency during her last year at the University, then went on to do a work experience placement at Penguin before getting a job in publishing recruitment. After eight months she was lucky enough to get a job with Canelo before securing her current role at HarperCollins.

Eleanor Pilcher

History and Creative Writing, 2016 Marketing Manager at Avon, HarperCollins Publishers

Charlie Edgar

Mass Communications, 2016 Coldwell Banker, Global Luxury

“ My creative writing degree covered many aspects of writing from non-fiction, fiction and poetry. I was writing a novel which I later submitted to literary agencies, at the advice of my tutor, and through these submissions I came to realise that I had an interest in working for a literary agency. I applied for an internship at the start of my third year and was lucky enough to get it and from there continued to write and work in publishing. ”

Charlie is an assistant to the Beverly Hills real estate agent, and Coldwell Banker, and sells high-end luxury property in the Los Angeles area.

“ My studies provided me with the opportunity to interact and communicate with a wide number of individuals from all backgrounds and experiences. I learnt how to be selfsufficient, motivated and pursue all opportunities for growth. ”

Charlie chose to study at the University because of its study abroad opportunities and connections to London. He was also drawn to the architectural beauty of the de Havilland Campus, and the large selection of on-campus housing.

Research

Research in the study of educational leadership

Professor Philip Woods is internationally recognised for his research into democratic and distributed leadership in education. He is a former Chair and a current Council member of the British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society, and Director of the Centre for Educational Leadership and Professor of Educational Policy, Democracy and Leadership. Philip is the author of more than 130 publications and his work focuses on education, democracy, leadership, policy and governance, with special attention to change towards democratic and holistic organisational environments. His work includes the design of resources for senior leaders, teachers and others, to support the development of distributed and democratic leadership, working with international colleagues through European Union funded networks.

Our researchers work within heritage, education and the culture and heritage sectors to enhance our understanding of the way we live now, our pasts and our future. Researchers in history and literature work closely with theatres, museums and archives to identify and preserve artefacts and memories and to curate exhibitions.

Our linguists’ research is reshaping understanding of how language influences behaviour and practice in the caring professions, especially in nursing and teaching. We also explore how language acquisition impacts upon learning.

Our research and practice includes work that helps us interpret and understand the world around us. Within the School there are researchers working on politics and international relations and the impact of modern media and communications alongside active and widely-published academic and creative writers.

Our oral history team believe that memories matter. Every year, students, staff and members of the local community are professionally trained in the art of interviewing, going on to take part in memory-gathering projects. These preserve amazing stories which are made available in an online archive which can be accessed around the world.

Our partners in these projects have included Waitrose, Watford Football Club and the prestigious Society of Radiographers, plus local museums and a choral society! We have preserved the memories of those who worked for the de Havilland aircraft company, which was sited on what is now the University’s de Havilland Campus. In association with the University of Western Australia, stories were collected of migrants to Australia and their relatives who remained in the UK. Team members have been recording their own audio diaries and compiling a photographic archive as part of our Virus Diaries project, which began in March 2020.

Enhancing our understanding of the human experience

Our research and practice includes work that helps us interpret and understand the world around us

Future aspirations

Our School creates transformative benefits for the economy and our communities through our teaching and training expertise and in media and communications, preserving and curating our business heritage, and through our research to support and enhance the creative industries. We work in partnership with more than 400 schools across the region. We are committed to providing new innovative courses and we are planning to offer: a degree in Sociology and Criminology a degree in Psychology in Education a MA in Geo-Politics a MA in Mental Health and Well-being in Education a PG Cert in the History of Minorities in the UK modules on cultural awareness and languages for business.